The youth of Sekondi, supported by indigenes and residents from the Diaspora, on Tuesday took to the streets to protest the prolonged absence of a substantive Paramount Chief for Sekondi, a situation they say has stalled development and deepened disunity in the historic coastal town.
The peaceful demonstration culminated in the presentation of a petition to the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs (WRHC), calling for urgent intervention to resolve the chieftaincy impasse that has left Sekondi without a Paramount Chief for more than two decades.
Nana Ewua Duku II, was the last Sekondi Paramount chief and president of the WRHC in 1998. Since then, Sekondi has been left with no representation at the WRHC.
In the petition, the youth expressed what they described as “immense pain, anger and dissatisfaction” over the continued vacancy of the Sekondi stool, noting that the town has been without a Paramount Chief for about 22 years, an anomaly they say is unacceptable for a traditional area with a rich cultural heritage dating back to the Gold Coast era.
According to the petitioners, the absence of a substantive chief has become a major impediment to development in Sekondi, as traditional leadership plays a critical role in mobilising support, lobbying for projects and providing direction for communal growth.
“As the youth of Sekondi, we are not only the future leaders of our great town, but also partners in today’s development,” the petition stated, adding that the youth remain “inalienable stakeholders” in the affairs of Sekondi and cannot remain silent while the town’s progress continues to stall.
The group explained that they were joined by Sekondi indigenes living abroad, due to the shared concern that the chieftaincy vacuum has significantly hindered growth, and eroded the town’s once vibrant status.
Detailing the impact of the leadership vacuum, the petitioners pointed to the lack of major development projects in Sekondi, contrasting the situation with other traditional areas where chiefs actively lobby government and development partners to bring projects to their communities.
They observed that while Sekondi elders should ordinarily be championing development initiatives, they are instead “engaged in a marathon of chieftaincy disputes,” leaving the town without a clear development agenda.
The petition further noted that traditional decision-making has been weakened, making it difficult for community initiatives to take off, while the absence of a unifying traditional authority has led to growing disunity, frequent disputes and heightened tension among residents.
Another major concern raised by the youth relates to the management of royalties due to the Sekondi traditional area.
According to them, the lack of a substantive chief has made it difficult to properly trace and account for royalties that should be used to support community-initiated development projects.
“Painfully, we do not know all the royalties due Sekondi, who receives them and how they are currently being used,” the petition said, describing the situation as worrying and detrimental to transparency and accountability.
The youth also lamented Sekondi’s lack of proper traditional representation, stressing that the town does not have a recognised traditional leader to engage effectively with government agencies, companies operating in Sekondi and non-governmental organisations.
They added that high-level government visits to the area, including those by the President and Vice President, often bypass the Sekondi Paramount chief’s Palace because there is no substantive chief to receive them, a development they say denies the town valuable opportunities to directly lobby the executive arm of government.
The petitioners, therefore, appealed to the Western Regional House of Chiefs to intervene decisively to help resolve the long-standing chieftaincy dispute and restore traditional leadership to Sekondi.
They also called on the Sekondi Royal Family to put the development of the town above personal and factional interests by burying their differences and nominating a qualified royal to be installed as Paramount Chief.
The youth expressed confidence that the installation of a substantive Sekondi chief would restore stability, unity and effective leadership and ultimately accelerate development in the Sekondi traditional area.
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